A new study finds people with fewer televisions and more exercise equipment at home are more successful at losing weight and keeping it off.

Researchers at California Polytechnic State University found that the home environment of people with successful weight loss is as important as the amount of exercise they do or the types of foods they eat.

"The home environment really came out as a stronger factor than we would have anticipated," said lead study author Suzanne Phelan.

Phelan and a team of researchers compared people who had lost over 10 percent of their body weight and kept it off for at least five years with overweight or obese individuals who have been unsuccessful with long-term weight loss. They found that the successful subjects exercised more, made healthier, more thoughful choices about eating and had "healthier" homes, with fewer televisions, more exercise equipment and better foods.

The study implies that weight loss success is achieved through learned behaviors and making those behaviors more accessible.

"You have to pay attention to your home environment if you want to succeed. Do you have TVs in every room? When you walk into your kitchen, do you see high-fat food or healthy food?," Phelan asked.